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Introverts are stereotypically known for being loners by choice but no one talks about how introverts can be the best solo travelers. I’ve traveled to other countries in big groups but I had never had the chance to travel alone until I was invited to a Volunteer forum in Russia. Apart from being a dorky introvert, I’m also a bit obsessive with my packing preparation when I travel. Perhaps this method of packing gives me a sense of control since I understand that traveling can leave me vulnerable. Whatever the case may be, I knew I was ready for my solo trip around the world. For a Belizean, in order to get into Russia, I first need to get a visa from the nearest neighboring Embassy. This means that before I get to travel to Russia, I first need to do a pit stop in Mexico City and oh what a journey that can be. So because the Mexico City trip is a must, I need to budget my money wisely. I do that by traveling by bus from Belize City to our border with Mexico. If you’ve never traveled by road in a third world country, let’s just say the 4-hour ride felt like a day of hard labor but I made it safely. Now to rush to the airport in Chetumal, the bordering city. From there I flew for 2 hours to get to Mexico City. With the first day a success I got to rest for the next day of travel. I woke up the next day and rushed to the embassy and got my visa in a matter of hours. I walk out of the embassy and find a taxi and rush back to the airport early. So I take the extra time to eat and watch Netflix. I was so distracted that when I checked the time I realized that I was looking at the wrong time which meant I was late. I had to throw away the balance of my food and rushed through airport security. Had I missed my flight I would be stranded in Mexico city. Thankfully the journey back home was all smooth sailing and I could then focus on the big trip. I flew to Miami and then to New York. Once in NYC, I was met by my family who I spent the night with. I was ready on time to leave the house but my ride was late. By the time we got to the airport, I was not allowed to board. I was so scared and mad that my uncle agreed to buy me another ticket. I felt awful asking him to buy me another ticket but I had reached so far that I was not missing out. We went to a mall to eat and kill some time until the next flight. By the time I got to board the flight to Moscow, I was exhausted. Since it was a late flight I planned to sleep for the entire way. Either I was too worried or my anxiety was off the charts but I could not sleep. With nothing else to do, I decided to just listen to an audiobook for most of the flight. Because the entire trip was so eventful, I totally forgot to check the local weather. So as we were descending, I got a glimpse of white. Everything was covered with snow. I knew that Russia was a country that generally gets deadly winters and it was early December, but I totally forgot that I might finally get to experience snow for the first time. I wanted to immediately go outside and touch the snow so badly but because I hadn’t rested all I could do the first night was sleep. I slept like a baby because I was finally at my destination. One might say that my trip wasn’t worth it, but for me it was. I got to experience so many firsts and got to see so many amazing places that I don’t regret all those adventures. Stepping outside your comfort zones is definitely rewarding.